Temperature increases the versatility of belowground plant-microbiota interactions in cold climates

The ongoing change in climate extensively alters belowground interactions between plants and microbiota. Alterations in plant-microbiota interactions have significant implications for the functioning of ecosystems. To predict ecosystem change and protect vulnerable systems, it is therefore crucial to understand how climate shapes belowground plant-microbiota interactions. We test how prokaryote and fungal rhizosphere and root-associated communities of the perennial grass Festuca rubra are affected by temperature and precipitation in cold climate settings. We found that microbial communities were strongly shaped by temperature and to a lesser extent by precipitation. Temperature decreased relative habitat specialisation of the rhizosphere community and the fungal root-associated community. These effects were mediated by an increase in forb cover and a decrease in soil pH with temperature. Our findings indicate that with a rise in temperature in cold environments, plant-microbiota interactions become more versatile and adapted to a broader range of environmental conditions.